Warren Sapp signed with the Miami football program in 1992. Miami was the best program in the country with four national championships in the nine seasons prior to Sapp arriving in Coral Gables. Sapp was the perfect fit for a brash Miami player. Sapp originally signed with Miami as a tight end.
One of Sapp’s teammates at Miami was eventual wrestler turned actor Dwayne Johnson. Johnson has stated that one of the reasons his football career ended was competing with Sapp for playing time on the Miami defensive line. Miami finished in the top 10 in scoring defense all three seasons that Sapp played.
Warren Sapp just messaged me btw. Dude, I hate you Warren Sapp. You're a walking nutshell of the U.
— I love reading the constitution. (@mike_mcclatchy) November 17, 2014
The fact Sapp epitomized the Miami swagger led him to be universally hated. Sapp enrolled at Miami at the end o the 1980s and early 1990s dynasty. Linebacker Ray Lewis and Sapp led a dominant Miami defense. Sapp would let opponents know when he made a big play. That led Sapp to acquire a bad reputation.
Sapp was such a dominant player during his Miami career that he finished sixth in the 1994 Heisman Trophy voting. In 1994 Sapp won the Lombardi Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Bill Willis Trophy, Big East Defensive Player of the Year, and was a unanimous All-American as Miami finished 10-2.
Sapp finished the 1994 season with 10.5 sacks which ranks 10th in Miami history. Linebacker Ray Lewis and Sapp teamed together at Miami to provide the Hurricanes with an elite tandem and polarizing force. Lewis and Sapp continued being polarizing during their NFL careers and eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions.